This invention relates to a power module for use with a panel mounting a plurality of pieces of electrical equipment in a parallel adjacent array and, more particularly, to such a module having a bracket which adapts the module for mounting in different sized panels.
Interconnect and cross-connect equipment for telecommunications apparatus is usually mounted in a panel supported on a frame. Such a panel may have slots for holding the equipment in a parallel adjacent array. Often, such equipment requires electrical power for its operation and in such case a power strip is provided. Such a power strip extends along the array and includes a plurality of identical parallel connected connectors located at positions corresponding to the panel slots. The equipment is provided with a complementary connector which mates with a respective connector of the power strip in a plug-in manner when the equipment is mounted to the panel. When there are a number of such panels, a power panel is provided which is mounted to the frame and supplies power to all of the other panels mounted to the frame, and possibly to additional adjacent frames. However, there are applications wherein only one such panel is mounted to a frame and in such an application it is uneconomical to provide a large capacity power panel. It would therefore be desirable to have a power module mountable directly in such a panel for providing power to all of the equipment within that panel.
Differing applications may require such equipment having differing sizes. It would also be desirable to provide a power module of the type described which can be utilized with differently sized equipment.